| Our judokas are capable of winning Olympic medals The thankless job of making predictions was left to the famous athletes and coaches of the Olympic history of Soviet and Russian judo, Vladimir Nevzorov, Nikolai Solodukhin, Sergei Kosorotov and Gennady Kaletkin. Judoists will be among the first to compete for medals at the Athens Games. Every day, from August 14 to 20, they will give away two sets of rewards. Will we see Russians among the champions of the most prestigious world competitions? Will our athletes get the long-awaited “gold” for Russia and its judoka president?
We present to your attention the answers of four experienced specialists to one question: what awaits the Russian judo team at the Games in Athens?
Vladimir NEVZOROV - the first Soviet world champion in judo (1975), champion of the 1976 Olympic Games, former coach of the Russian team, who prepared it for the Games in Sydney:
- Today, many spiteful critics are predicting failure for our judo team at the Games in Athens. They say that changes in the leadership of judo will not allow us to win Olympic medals. I do not share such forecasts. Changes in the coaching staff and governing bodies are not a unique phenomenon. This happened in my time too. And what? We, the athletes, still went out onto the tatami, fought and won. And no one has ever seen the reason for the defeat in the perturbations above. Our Olympians today should do the same.
The Russian team contains the best athletes - a fighter from God, team captain Tamerlan Tmenov, Vitaly Makarov - a talent who has consistently performed at three consecutive world championships, purposeful Magomed Jafarov, technical Evgeniy Stanev, bright Khasambi Taov, young Dmitry Nosov, eager to fight. By the way, the fact that Russia will be represented in Athens in 11 categories is also progress; at the last Games there were ten Russians.
The guys went through a good school, everything possible and even more was done to prepare them. The team's performance in Greece, of course, will depend on the level of preparedness of its athletes - they, I know, trained diligently, under the guidance of experienced mentors and with massive, comprehensive support from the leadership of Russian judo. But the Olympics also require simple luck. I wish the boys and girls success in Athens. I really want our judokas to show all their best qualities and with victories to thank their families, who sent them on long training camps and trainings, schools and regions, which for many years invested money and effort in their training and education, and gave their homeland such necessary and long-awaited Olympic judo medals.
Nikolay SOLODUKHIN is a famous wrestler, two-time world champion (1979, 1983), the last Russian to win the Olympic judo tournament, winner of gold at the 1980 Games:
- To be honest, I haven’t seen the team for a long time - new leaders didn’t attract me to training camps, as before, during the time of the President of the Russian Judo Federation (FDR) Vladimir Shestakov. I can only judge by the results of our athletes at international tournaments. The last thing I remember is the World Championships in Munich, where I went with the team. Then I was impressed by the fight between Mikhailin and Makarov. I think that the hopes that everyone places on team captain Tamerlan Tmenov are completely justified. If Vitaly Makarov increases his reliability percentage, then he too can become the winner of a medal at the 2004 Games.
In general, it seems to me that Russian judo today is losing its position in the world. In my time, Soviet wrestlers came to the championships as favorites, who did not and could not have even a shadow of doubt in their own abilities. We beat everyone cleanly. Nowadays there is no question of the superiority of our school. In terms of hard work, today's wrestlers are clearly inferior to us. In coaching, not everything is right, in my opinion. And reshuffles at the top of Russian judo structures cannot but influence the athletes. I remember the disastrous European Championship ’78, where our team went with new coaches who had joined the team literally the day before. It seems to me that a few months before the Games in Athens it was not worth changing the team coaches. Today I am not sure of a good result.
Sergei KOSOROTOV, 1991 world champion:
- I may turn out to be a bad seer, but it seems to me that in Greece the Russians are capable of winning a maximum of three medals. Bronze. You look at the team - with the exception of the recently transferred sambo wrestler Maksimov and the young Nosov, who broke into the team in 2004, there are all the same people as a year and five years ago: Tmenov, Makarov, Jafarov... They are also at the championships They go to Europe, both to the World Championships and to all other important competitions. I know from myself what it’s like to gain ratings in qualifying tournaments. Before Atlanta, I completed seven tournaments, reaching the finals in four of them. I won the ticket. But I no longer had enough strength for the Olympics. How strong are today's team leaders? Why are there no competitors to the top numbers of the national team in vast Russia? Is there really no one to choose from? And the main question: when these stars leave, will new ones come?
In recent years, no one has paid attention to the development of the sport. Everyone was too focused on the Olympic team. Some came to judo in order to be closer to the “presidential” sport. They say that the new leadership of the federation intends to take on mass judo and is already investing in the youth team. And this would be the most correct thing, because if today we do not pay attention to children’s and student sports, then at the 2008 Beijing Olympics we will not even dream of bronze medals.
Gennady KALEKIN, honorary president of the FDR, former state judo coach:
- I have been to five Olympics. I saw how the favorites lost and how little-known wrestlers rose to the top of the podium. Sports in general, and wrestling in particular, are unpredictable. I am sure of one thing - the strongest are lucky, those who know how to concentrate on the main thing, do not succumb to general psychosis, believe in themselves and that their work will definitely bring results.
I believe that our team has real contenders for medals at the 2004 Olympics. Russian judokas may well win one or two medals in Athens, and judokas three. Could there be gold among these awards? I hope it will. Russia has been waiting for a champion in judo for 24 years - the last Russian hero of the Olympic tatami was Nikolai Solodukhin, who rose to the highest step of the podium in Moscow, back in 1980.
I categorically disagree with those who, like a flock of ravens, are trying to make Russia fail at the Games in Athens. There will be no failure, because there were and are no prerequisites for it. Everything has been done for the national team over the past year - the best coaches and specialists, doctors and methodologists have been involved; I have not seen the kind of food our team had in any team; training camps were held in the best international camps. Despite the fact that I am no longer associated with the team, I came to the national team and talked with the guys. The situation is calm, not a single breakdown, not a single incident during the entire preparation period.
Those who believe that athletes should be affected by the failure to accept a new version of the regulations or changes in the top management, in my opinion, are deeply mistaken: wrestling on the mat and wrestling behind the scenes are two different “departments”. Unfortunately, you can’t throw a scarf over the mouth of all ill-wishers. There will always be someone who, lying on the couch, will curse those who work more than him.
As they say, how many people - so many opinions. It’s just more pleasant, in my opinion, to be among those who believe in our team and, to the best of their ability and ability, are trying to help judo get out of a long-term crisis. One can and should hope for success. But if he doesn’t exist, if our team doesn’t get enough medals in Greece, the world won’t turn upside down. There will be new starts and new victories ahead. And only those who are already concerned about tomorrow today and are preparing the ground for future success will come to them. Interviewed by Marina MAYOROVA |
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